Death and life are in the power of the tongue! Prov. 18:21(image courtesy of adsneeze.com)

NOTE: Domestic abuse articles written by me are usually written from the female perspective since I am a woman and my audience is largely women. However, abuse is not gender specific. Most of what I write can be understood to apply to either gender.

This case is a classic example of how the seemingly impossible can be true. According to the linked article, the judge in the case said:

he couldn’t reconcile the two sides of the Woodland dentist convicted of molesting female patients.

There was the devoted family man, church elder and healer, who provided free dental care to indigent patients. He lived with his wife and children in a Victorian house in historic Woodland.

And then there was the man Judge Stephen Mock called “a serial sexual offender,” who abused his standing in the community and his patients’ trust by groping them in his dental chair..

Supporters’ letters described Anderson, 49, as an outstanding member of the community, Mock said. “But I don’t know who that man was who molested those women,” he said.

Throughout the trial, Anderson maintained his innocence, attempting to convince the judge his actions were a type of physical therapy for TMJ. His attorney asked that Anderson be given probation and be treated through sex offender therapy because his actions were not in sync with the rest of what everyone knew to be true of Mark Anderson.

However, the judge did not agree. He said that Anderson had first violated his oath to do no harm to his patients. Secondly, Anderson had been warned by one of his victims to stop or she would go to the police. Yet, he continued his actions with other patients. As a result the judge sentenced Anderson to two years more than the sentence recommended by probation officers.

Anderson may be eligible for parole in three years and he will be required to register as a sex offender for life.